How has your life been indelibly touched by a teacher who utilized the arts for whatever reason and acknowledge how they were instrumental in breaking the mold to allow you to become who you are today?
Photo by the lovely Shannon Davies
My life has been shaped by many teachers, all of whom left an indelible impression on my life. I remember one of my first acting lessons came from sitting in on Dr. McGarry’s class – I couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7 years old. The students, all in High School, were playing an improv game that I was allowed to join in on, and the scene I was given was a driver that was pulled over by a policeman. At that age, I was prone to fits of giggles whenever in the presence of an older and therefore obviously cooler kid (luckily I grew out of it!) and couldn’t stop giggling. Dr. McGarry told me to think about the relationship and the situation – if a policeman pulled me over, would I really giggle? Probably not – I would be terrified! This small but valuable lesson has stuck with me, along with countless others in my time in both public school and then later Drama School at NYU’S Tisch School of the Arts
How are the arts re-igniting your community and sparking innovation and creativity in your local schools?
The Arts are so incredibly important to our children and our schools. I currently live abroad, and people are always shocked and jealous when I tell them that I was able to study contemporary drama, Shakespeare, jazz, electronic music, and audio engineering all in my public school. Here, if a child wants to pursue ant of those things, it has to be done on their own time.
What many people don’t realize is how applicable skills gained in the arts are to jobs outside the accepted creative field. Besides the obvious connection between drama and public speaking – think how often people are asked to give presentations in ALL walks of life, and how dull they can be if the person has no sense of audience – the arts teach problem solving, critical thinking, and gives tools on how to engage an audience. These are things that any businessperson would be well off to have in their repertoire. Music has been shown to improve math ability, and dancing is a great way for the kid who may not be into competitive sports to stay fit. To use a terrible clichéd expression, if one thinks outside the box just a little one can see that the arts benefit students beyond making them more cultured and sensitive individuals (traits that should not be overlooked). We are so lucky in our country to have the opportunity and the precedence to offer education like this – we must take advantage of it.
Photo by the lovely Shannon Davies
